Indore bids tearful farewell as Major Hamza Arif laid to rest with full military and state honors
Indore, August 2: The city bid a tearful farewell to Major Hamza Arif, who lost his life in a road accident in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, as thousands gathered to pay respects with full military and state honors; patriotic slogans echoed while the house that had celebrated wedding joy a month ago was now steeped in mourning, every eye moist at the sight of his tricolor‑wrapped body, as wife Jyoti Arora’s grief, his parents’ silence, and the Army’s final salute moved the entire gathering.
The mortal remains of Major Hamza Arif, who died in a road accident in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, arrived at his residence in Saifi Nagar, Indore, on Sunday morning. Crowds of people gathered at his residence since morning. The body was first placed for the final rites. The funeral prayers were offered at Saifi Nagar at around 9 a.m. Afterward, the body, wrapped in the tricolor, departed for its final journey in an army vehicle. The funeral procession, draped in the tricolor, proceeded from the Saifi Nagar Mosque and passed through Manikbag Bridge, Collector Square, Rajwada, and Sadar Bazaar, reaching the Shia Dawoodi Bohra cemetery in Imli Bazaar.
Along the way, people stood outside their homes and shops to pay their last respects to Major Hamza Arif. A large crowd was already present at Rajwada. As the army vehicle arrived, the entire area reverberated with slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Major Hamza Arif Amar Rahein.” People paid tribute to their brave son with folded hands and salutes. At the cemetery, army personnel performed a guard of honor with full military honors, laid a wreath on the body, and paid their last respects to their fellow officer. Following this, he was laid to rest according to religious rites.
The most emotional moment of the final farewell came when his wife, Jyoti Arora, arrived to pay her last respects. With trembling hands, she bowed to the body wrapped in the tricolor, but could not control herself and burst into tears. His mother embraced her. After the guard of honor, army officers handed over the tricolor, the one wrapped in which Major Hamza Arif had returned home, to his wife, Jyoti Arora. She embraced the tricolor to her heart.
Several senior army officers from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh attended the funeral procession and cremation. Officers of the rank of Colonel, Lieutenant, and Major were present, along with a large number of Bohra community members, city residents, relatives, and friends. Everyone was seen bidding farewell to their brave son with tearful eyes.
Family members said that Major Hamza Arif had married about a month ago. After the wedding, he returned to duty after spending a few days on leave. No one imagined that just days after starting a new life, he would return home wrapped in the Indian flag.
The accident occurred late Thursday night in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. 31-year-old Major Hamza Arif was returning to the military station in an Army Tata Safari with two fellow officers after completing their duties. Near the Thaiyat military area, a camel suddenly crossed the road. The vehicle collided with the camel, went out of control, and was dragged for a considerable distance, overturning several times. Major Hamza Arif died on the spot in the accident, while two lieutenants accompanying him were seriously injured. They are undergoing treatment at the military hospital. The camel also died in the accident.
Major Hamza’s family left Jaisalmer on Saturday morning, carrying the body in a special Army vehicle by road. The body arrived in Indore late at night, and the vehicle first reached Mhow Cantonment. After paying tribute to Major Hamza, his body was brought to his residence. Hamza Arif had been serving in the Indian Army for the past nine years. His father is a retired RRCAT officer. The family consists of his parents and three sisters. His untimely death has plunged not only his family but all of Indore into mourning.
